Chapter 30 Dew—Part Three

One day, the Yueyang Clan leader went out for a night hunt with several family members for about half a month. In the middle of the night, without warning, they received bad news and immediately rushed back. After mourning, they learned that someone had deliberately destroyed their protective array and let in a group of powerful evil spirits. Beyond that, they knew nothing.

Typically, few people knew about the tragedies that occurred in small clans, but the circumstances were different. The Sunshot Campaign had long since ended, while the siege of Luanzang Hill had only just ended. On the surface, the situation seemed quite stable. With the sudden revelation of this event, the entire cultivation world was abuzz with discussion, with some even exaggerating that it was revenge by the revived YiLing Patriarch, Wei WuXian. However, with no evidence, finding the murderer was impossible. Naturally, Xiao XingChen didn’t remain silent. He volunteered to take responsibility for the matter and find out the truth for Chang Ping. After a month, the murderer was finally revealed.

The killer’s name is Xue Yang.

Xue Yang was even younger than Xiao XingChen, barely more than a boy. However, his youth certainly didn’t diminish his ruthlessness. Since the age of fifteen, he had been a criminal in the Kuizhou area, widely known for his bright smile, inhumane actions, and cruel personality. Everyone’s expressions changed whenever he was mentioned. When he was a child living on the streets, it was said that he harbored a hatred that lasted for years against Chang Ping’s father. He committed these crimes out of revenge and other reasons.

After Xiao Xingchen learned the truth, he traveled across three provinces, while Xue Yang was still enjoying fighting with others. Taking advantage of the Discussion Conference taking place at the Jinling Tower of the Lanlingjin Sect, where the leading sects were meeting and discussing cultivation methods, Xiao Xingchen brought him in, explained the situation, and demanded severe punishment.

With a clear list of evidence, most sects had no objections, except for one—the LanlingJin Sect.

Wei WuXian, “Refusing in such a situation is like setting oneself against the entire world. Could it be that Xue Yang is Jin GuangShan’s favorite?”

Lan WangJi, “Guest disciple.”

Wei WuXian, “He’s a foreign disciple? Back then, the LanlingJin Sect was already one of the four most prominent sects, right? Why would they invite a delinquent to be a guest disciple?”

Lan WangJi, “This is the second connection.”

He looked into Wei WuXian’s eyes, “Because of  the Stygian Tiger Seal  .”

Wei WuXian’s heart immediately started pounding.

The phrase was clearly not foreign to him. On the contrary, no one knew those three words better than him.

Among all the spiritual weapons he forged while alive, this was the most fearsome and most famous.

When Wei WuXian first created it, he didn’t think much of it. Controlling corpses and spirits alone naturally made him feel tired at times. Remembering a rare piece of iron ore he happened to spot in a beast’s stomach, he used it to form the Tiger Seal. 

However, after the Tiger Seal was created, Wei WuXian only used it once before discovering that it did more harm than good.

The power of the Stygian Tiger Seal was far greater than he had imagined. He had originally intended to use it to aid himself, but its power had nearly surpassed his own. Furthermore, the seal wasn’t confined to a single owner. This meant that anyone who obtained it, regardless of who they were—good or evil, friend or foe—could wield it.

After the seal was forged, Wei WuXian hadn’t considered destroying it, but because it had been painstakingly crafted, it would be extremely difficult to break, wasting his time and energy. Furthermore, at that time, he had already vaguely realized that he was in a bad situation and would sooner or later be hated by everyone. With a weapon as vicious as the Stygian Tiger Seal, others didn’t dare act rashly, so he temporarily put it away. He split the seal into two halves, making them usable only when united, and never to be used without careful consideration.

He had only used it twice before, and both times had resulted in great bloodshed. The first time was during the Sunshot Campaign. After using it a second time, he finally decided to destroy half of the seal. Before he could completely destroy the other half, the siege of Luanzang Hill broke out, and from then on, he was beyond his control. 

Regarding his own work, Wei WuXian confidently stated that even if the sect acquired it, built a temple for it, and offered incense every day, the remaining half of the Tiger Seal would be nothing but a piece of scrap metal. However, Lan WangJi revealed something surprising—it seemed that Xue Yang could rebuild the other half of the seal!

Although Xue Yang was young, he was also quite intelligent, a strange eccentric. The LanlingJin Sect discovered that he could use the remaining seals to roughly reconstruct the remaining parts. Although the recreated version was not as powerful and could not be used for long periods of time, it could still cause terrible disasters.

Wei WuXian understood, “LanlingJin needs to look after Xue Yang so he can continue recovering the Stygian Tiger Seal, so they have to protect him.”

Perhaps, Xue Yang destroyed the Chang Clan not simply to get revenge for what they did to him when he was young. He might be testing on this living human clan how far the restored Stygian Tiger Seal’s power could go!

No wonder the rumors linked the case to him. Wei WuXian could almost imagine the cultivators gnashing their teeth, “That Wei WuXian! If he hadn’t done this, our world wouldn’t have suffered so many disasters!!!”

Back to the topic, they continued about what happened at Jinling Tower.

Although the LanlingJin Sect was determined to protect Xue Yang, Xiao XingChen did not waver. The stalemate continued, and they eventually caught ChiFeng-Zun, Nie MingJue, by surprise. He had no intention of participating in the Discussion Conference. He rushed to Jinling Tower from a distance.

Although Nie MingJue was Jin GuangShan’s junior, he was strict and would not tolerate Xue Yang no matter what. With a harsh scolding, Jin GuangShan was rendered speechless and utterly embarrassed. Nie MingJue, naturally irritable, drew his sword on the spot, intent on killing Xue Yang. Even when his adopted younger brother, LianFang-Zun, Jin GuangYao, tried to defuse the situation, he still ordered him to leave. After being severely scolded, Jin GuangYao hid behind Lan XiChen, not daring to say another word. In the end, the LanlingJin Sect could only surrender.

Ever since Xue Yang was brought to Jinling Tower by Xiao XingChen, he hadn’t been afraid at all. Even when Nie MingJue’s sword was pressed against his neck, he still grinned. Before he was taken away, he said affectionately to Xiao XingChen, ”  Daozhang  , you won’t forget me, right? We’ll see.”

At this point, Wei WuXian knew that “wait and see” would make Xiao XingChen pay a very heavy price.

The LanlingJin Sect was indeed the most thick-skinned sect. Although they had promised in front of all the sects at Jinling Tower that Xue Yang would be executed, the moment they left Nie MingJue’s sight, they immediately locked Xue Yang in the dungeon and changed the original sentence to a life sentence. Upon hearing this, Nie MingJue was furious and put pressure on them again. The LanlingJin Sect sputtered, refusing to hand Xue Yang over to him no matter how hard he tried. All the other sects watched from the sidelines, but soon after, Nie MingJue died of Qi deviation.

He cultivated at a faster speed than other Nie Sect leaders in the past, and also died faster than all of them.

Now that the most difficult person to deal with was gone, the LanlingJin Sect became even more reckless and began to think of even more sinister ideas. Jin GuangShan began to do everything in his power to get Xue Yang out of the dungeon so he could continue recovering and examining the Stygian Tiger Seal.

However, this wasn’t something to be proud of. It was impossible for him to rescue the murderer of an entire clan from the dungeon without a valid reason.

So, they turned their attention to Chang Ping.

From coercion to harassment, the LanlingJin Sect ultimately pressured Chang Ping into correcting his words, retracting all his past statements. He announced that the extermination of the Chang Clan had nothing to do with Xue Yang.

Upon hearing the news, Xiao XingChen visited her to inquire about the matter. Chang Ping replied helplessly, “What else can I do? If I don’t tolerate it, the rest of our clan won’t be safe for long. I’m very grateful, Daozhang, but… please don’t help me anymore. Now, helping me is the same as hurting me. I don’t want the YueyangChang Sect to be destroyed just yet.”

And thus, the tiger was released back into the mountains.

Wei WuXian remained silent.

If she were Chang Ping, she wouldn’t care how famous or powerful the LanlingJin Sect was, or how much glory the path ahead offered, and she wouldn’t let this matter slide. Instead, she would go down to the dungeons alone, slice Xue Yang into nothing more than a piece of meat on the ground, and summon his soul back to repeat the process until she regretted ever being born into this world.

However, not everyone was like him, preferring to perish alongside their enemies. Few members of the Chang Clan were still alive. Chang Ping was also young, single, and childless, having just embarked on her first steps on the path of cultivation. Whether the lives of her remaining family members or her own future and cultivation were at stake, she had to think carefully.

Of course, she wasn’t Chang Ping herself. She couldn’t be angry or worried in Chang Ping’s place, and she couldn’t bear Chang Ping’s mental and physical suffering.

After Xue Yang was released, he began seeking revenge again. However, this time, his revenge wasn’t directed at Xiao Xingchen herself.

Xiao XingChen left the mountains alone and had no family. He only had a friend he met later, Song Lan. Song Lan was also a cultivator at that time. He was pious, steadfast, and possessed considerable judgment. The two of them wanted to build a sect that valued shared ideals over blood ties, which made them the closest and most like-minded of friends. People of the time described them as such—Xiao XingChen was like the bright moon and gentle breeze; Song ZiChen  was like  the distant snow and cold frost.

Xue Yang placed his hand on this side. Repeating his old technique, he swept clean the Baixue Temple where Song Lan grew up and studied, and then used poison to blind Song Lan’s eyes.

This time, with his experience in exterminating a sect, he made sure not to leave any evidence behind. Even if everyone knew he was the culprit, what good would it do? There was no evidence. And, with Jin GuangShan’s deliberate protection and ChiFeng-Zun’s cruel death, no one could do anything about him.

Wei WuXian found this a bit odd. Although Lan WangJi appeared indifferent, based on Wei WuXian’s previous experiences, he couldn’t stand mistakes at all, perhaps even more so than Brother Nie HuaiSang. Back then, the LanlingJin Sect had some underhanded methods of doing things, and Lan WangJi never bothered to be polite. Even now, he had always refused to attend their sect’s Discussion Conferences. If two cruel massacres were to occur, news of them would probably spread throughout the cultivation world, and Lan WangJi would definitely not turn a blind eye to them. Why not go and give Xue Yang what he deserved?

Just as he was about to ask, he remembered the scars the discipline whip had given him.

A single disciplinary whipping was already severe enough. If Lan WangJi had committed a serious offense and received so many lashes, he would likely have been grounded for several years. He was likely serving his sentence or waiting for his wounds to heal during the years when the incident occurred. No wonder he claimed to have only “heard” about what happened. 

For some reason, Wei WuXian cared deeply about that scar in his heart. However, it felt inconvenient to ask directly, so he had to hold back for now. “Then, what happened to Daozhang Xiao XingChen afterward?”

What happened next was certainly a tragic ending. When he left the mountain, his master, Xiao XingChen, swore that he would never return. He was a man of his word, but since Song Lan was not only blind but also seriously injured, he broke his vow and brought Song Lan back to BaoShan SanRen’s residence, begging him to save his friend.

For the sake of those who had been both master and disciple, BaoShan SanRen agreed. And so, Xiao XingChen left the mountain once more, never to be seen again.

A year later, Song Lan also left the mountain. Everyone was shocked; his eyes, once completely blind, now saw the light of day. However, it wasn’t BaoShan SanRen’s medical skills that created the miracle, but rather Xiao XingChen… gouged out his own eyes and gave them to Song Lan, who was implicated in this only because of him.

Song Lan originally wanted revenge on Xue Yang. By then, Jin GuangShan had passed away. Jin GuangYao had taken over the LanlingJin Sect and become the Sect Leader. To show that things would be different, the first thing he did after taking power was to get rid of Xue Yang. Besides never mentioning the Stygian Tiger Seal again, he also made amends to restore the sect’s reputation and quell the rumors. Song Lan went searching for his former friend. Initially, people still heard about his whereabouts. After a while, he disappeared. Furthermore, the YueyangChang Sect was a small, generally unknown clan. Thus, many things gradually faded into obscurity.

After listening to the long story, Wei WuXian sighed softly. Regret welled up in his heart.  It ended up like this because of something completely unrelated to him, really… If only Xiao XingChen had been born a few years earlier or I had died a few years later, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. If I were still alive, how could I not have gotten involved? How could I not have become friends with someone like that?

A moment later, he laughed bitterly at himself, “  I’ll do something? What can I do? If I were still alive back then, perhaps the YueyangChang Sect case wouldn’t even need to be investigated before everyone decided that I was the culprit. If Daozhang Xiao XingChen had met me on the street and I had chatted with him, asking him to drink with me, he would have most likely hit me with his horsetail whisk, haha.”

They had already passed the Chang Residence, heading towards the nearby cemetery. Wei WuXian saw the scarlet “Chang” written on  the pailou  and asked, “Then why did Chang Ping die afterward? Who killed the remaining members of her clan?”

Before Lan WangJi could answer, a series of  explosive sounds  rang out from the blue twilight.

The sound sounded like a door slamming, but it wasn’t. The banging was loud and fast, without pause. The sound was slightly muffled, as if something was separating them from the outside world.

Their faces immediately changed.

About fifty people from the YueyangChang Sect were currently lying in their coffins, their lids slammed shut from the inside. That night, they were scared to death—they slammed the doors frantically, but no one would let them out.

This is the coffin-slamming incident at the Chang Clan funeral that the liquor store clerk was talking about!

However, the maid said that the haunting incident happened ten years ago and was long gone. Why did the slamming sound reappear when they arrived?

Without a word being spoken between them, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi both held their breaths, moving silently without making a sound.

Leaning against the pillars of the pailou, they both saw that, in the middle of the cemetery, there was a hole in the middle of the tombstone.

It was a deep, newly formed hole, surrounded by piles of dirt. Faint voices could be heard coming from within.

Someone is digging a grave.

They both held their breath, waiting intently for the person inside the hole to come out on their own.

Before an hour had passed, two people jumped from the open grave.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi were able to recognize them as two people only because of their excellent eyesight. The two looked like conjoined twins. One carried the other on their back, tightly connected. Because both of them were dressed in black, it was very difficult to tell them apart.

The person who jumped had long legs and arms, standing with his back to them. The person he was carrying appeared lifeless, their head and limbs drooping. This was only natural. Since the person had been dug from a grave, they were undoubtedly dead. Lifeless was the way it should be.

While they were thinking, the gravedigger suddenly turned around and saw them.

There was a thick black fog on the man’s face, so that no one could see what his face and appearance were like!

Wei WuXian knew that he must have cast some strange spell to cover his face. Lan WangJi had already drawn Bichen, dashed into the grave, and started the fight. The gravedigger’s reaction was swift. Seeing Bichen’s blue sword glare attack, he made  a hand seal  and summoned a sword glare as well. The sword glare matched his face, surrounded by a thick mist, making it impossible to discern its color and style. With the corpse on his back, the gravedigger fought in a strange manner. The two sword glares clashed several times. Lan WangJi summoned Bichen back and held it in his hand, a layer of frost covering his face.

Wei WuXian knew why his face suddenly turned cold. It was because, during the fight, even an outsider like him could tell that the gravedigger was very familiar with Lan WangJi’s sword techniques!

Lan WangJi fell silent. Bichen’s attacks deepened, striking with incredible force. The gravedigger retreated several times. As if knowing that with a dead man on his back, he couldn’t win against Lan WangJi and, if they continued fighting, he would be captured alive, he suddenly took out a dark blue talisman from his waist.

Transportation Savings!

This type of talisman could instantly transport someone hundreds of miles away, but it also consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. It took a long time for the user to recover. Those with insufficient spiritual energy would be unable to use it. Therefore, despite its high quality, it was rarely used. Seeing Wei WuXian about to flee, he hurriedly clapped his hands together twice, knelt down, and slammed his fists into the ground.

The force of his blow penetrated the layers of soil, reaching deep into the ground, and pierced the thick coffin lid, provoking the corpses trapped inside. With a cracking sound, four bloodied arms rose from the ground, grabbing the gravedigger’s legs!

The gravedigger appeared indifferent. He poured spiritual energy into the soles of his feet, exploding the corpse’s four arms. Wei WuXian took out his bamboo flute. A shrill, piercing melody tore through the collapsed curtain of darkness. Two human heads emerged from the ground along with their bodies, climbing up from the gravedigger’s feet and coiling around him like snakes. Opening their mouths, they prepared to bite his neck and arms.

The gravedigger snorted in disgust, as if to say, “What a petty trick,” and sent spiritual energy throughout his body. However, this time, it wasn’t until he released the energy that he realized he’d been tricked.

He also made the corpse he was carrying on his back float!

Wei WuXian laughed heartily as he pounded on the tombstone, while Lan WangJi caught the limp corpse with one hand and attacked with Bichen with the other. Seeing that what he had just dug up had been snatched away, that he couldn’t even win against Lan WangJi alone, let alone against someone else’s mischief, he didn’t dare to stay any longer. He threw the Transportation Talisman onto the ground. After a loud bang, blue flames soared into the sky. His figure disappeared into the flames.

Wei WuXian knew that the gravedigger had a Transportation Talisman with him, which meant that even if they caught him, he could still find a chance to escape. The corpse he dug up was already a clue, so he had no regrets. He walked over to Lan WangJi, “Let’s see who he dug up.”

Glancing at it, he was a little shocked. The corpse’s head had been split open. From the wound, no blood or brain matter poured out, but a blackened mass of cotton.

Wei WuXian easily yanked the corpse’s head off. With a finely crafted doll head, he asked, “What’s the meaning of this? There’s a fake corpse made of cotton and rags buried in the Chang Clan cemetery?”

After weighing the corpse in his hands when he took it, Lan WangJi knew what was wrong, “Not all of it is fake.”

Wei WuXian felt the corpse from head to toe and found that, aside from its floppy limbs, only its chest and abdomen felt firm and real. After he tore off its clothes, as he had expected, he discovered that only its torso was real. All the other parts were fake.

The cotton-like head and limbs were meant to “deceive” the upper body, allowing it to feel attached to its owner. Judging by its skin color and the cut-off of its left shoulder, this must be the upper body of its friend. The gravedigger had come for this.

Wei WuXian straightened up, “It seems like the person who hid the body already realized we were investigating this matter and came to move the body somewhere else in case we found it. Coming early isn’t as good as arriving on time. We just happened to run into him, haha. But,” with a change in tone, he continued, “Why is that foggy-faced gravedigger so familiar with your sect’s sword style?”

Lan WangJi was clearly thinking about this as well, the coldness on his face still lingering. Wei WuXian spoke again, “His cultivation is quite high, enough to sustain the energy used for a single Transportation Talisman. He cast a spell on his face and sword. It’s natural that he would cast a spell on his face—after all, he wouldn’t want to be seen. However, most lesser-known cultivators wouldn’t need to cast a spell on their swords to conceal them, unless, of course, the sword was quite famous or extremely renowned in the cultivation world. He would then have to conceal it, because if everyone could recognize the gaze of his sword, his identity would be revealed as soon as it was revealed.”

Wei WuXian asked suggestively, “HanGuang-Jun, from your previous fight, do you think he’s someone you know very well?”

It would be troublesome for him to be more specific, like Lan XiChen or Lan QiRen.

Lan WangJi answered confidently, “No.”

Wei WuXian was quite confident in Lan WangJi’s answer. To him, Lan WangJi wasn’t the type to hide or run from the truth. If he denied it, it would mean he was wrong. He also disliked lying. According to Wei WuXian, if someone asked Lan WangJi to lie, he would rather remain silent and not speak at all. Therefore, Wei WuXian immediately ruled out the possibility that the gravediggers were the two of them.

Lan Wangji put the upper body into another double-layered Qiankun Pouch and put it away neatly. The two of them strolled around for a while before returning to the street near the liquor store.

The young waiter kept his promise. Most of the other liquor stores on the street were closed, but their signs and lights were still up. The waiter was outside, eating from a large bowl. Seeing them, he smiled broadly, “You’re back! We keep our promises, right? Did you two see something?”

Wei WuXian laughed as he replied. He and Lan WangJi walked back to the table where they had been sitting earlier that afternoon.

With liquor jars cluttering the table and near his feet, he said, “Okay, what were we talking about? Suddenly interrupted by the gravedigger, I still don’t know how Chang Ping died.”

Lan WangJi continued his explanation with simple and direct words.

Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen, and Song Lan left one by one. Some disappeared, some died. Several years later, Chang Ping and the rest of her clan died overnight due to Lingchi. Furthermore, Chang Ping’s eyes were gouged out.

This time, no one has been able to find the killer. After all, everyone inside has disappeared. However, one thing is certain.

From the wounds, it was certain that the sword used to injure them was Xiao XingChen’s Shuanghua sword.

The bowl of liquor Wei WuXian was holding stopped in front of his mouth. He was shocked by this incident, “He was lingchied by Xiao XingChen’s sword? Then was he the culprit?”

Lan WangJi, “Xiao XingChen has disappeared. There is no conclusive evidence.”

Wei WuXian, “If he can’t be found alive, has anyone tried soul summoning?”

Lan WangJi, “Yes. Nothing was found.”

Nothing was found. Either he wasn’t dead, or his soul had vanished. As an expert in the field, Wei WuXian had to comment, “Things like soul summoning, you can’t rely too much on it. Time, place, and people all play a role in it, so of course it can sometimes go wrong. I think many people think it’s Xiao XingChen’s revenge? HanGuang-Jun, what about you? What do you think?”

Lan WangJi shook his head slowly, “One should not comment without understanding the big picture.”

Wei WuXian greatly admired his attitude and principles. Grinning as he took another swig of liquor, he heard Lan WangJi speak again, “What about you?”

Wei WuXian, “Lingchi is a type of torture. Its meaning does involve ‘punishment.’ The eye-gouging also makes it hard not to associate it with Xiao XingChen, who also gouged out his eyes. So, it’s not wrong for these people to suspect it was Xiao XingChen’s revenge. However,” he pondered how to phrase it, “I think, originally, Xiao XingChen never asked for Chang Ping’s gratitude when he first entered. I…”

Before he could finish thinking about what should follow the word “I,” the waiter eagerly brought over two plates of peanuts. Having been interrupted, Wei WuXian didn’t need to continue. He looked at Lan WangJi and smiled, “HanGuang-Jun, why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t say anything. Just like you, I don’t understand the big picture either, so I won’t comment either. You’re right. Before knowing all the twists and turns, the causes and effects, no one should assume anything. I only ordered five jars, but you bought five more for me, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to finish them all by myself. How about you drink with me? This isn’t the Cloud Recesses, so it’s not breaking anything, right?”

He had already prepared himself for a flat rejection, but who would have thought that Lan WangJi would instead reply, “I’ll drink.”

Wei WuXian clicked his tongue, “HanGuang-Jun, you’ve really changed. Back then, I drank a small jar in front of you, and you got so angry. You even threw me off the wall and hit me. But now, you hide a jar of Emperor’s Smile in your room and secretly drink it.”

Adjusting his collar, he replied in a calm voice, “I didn’t touch a single bottle of Emperor’s Smile.”

Wei WuXian, “Why did you hide it if you didn’t drink anything? Save it for me? Alright, alright. You didn’t touch it. I’ll trust you, okay? Let’s talk about something else. Come on. I really want to know how many cups it takes to get a GusuLan Sect disciple who abstains from drinking drunk.”

He poured a bowl for Lan WangJi. Without thinking, Lan WangJi took it and took a sip. Wei WuXian looked incredibly excited, staring at his face, anticipating when it would turn red. However, even after he stared at it for a moment, neither Lan WangJi’s color nor his expression changed, staring at him calmly with his bright eyes. Absolutely no change!

Wei WuXian was extremely disappointed. Just as he was about to ask for another jar, Lan WangJi suddenly frowned and gently rubbed his eyebrows. After a moment, he closed his eyes with his hand on his forehead.

… He fell asleep?

… He’s asleep!

After most people drink so much alcohol, they should get drunk first and then go to sleep. How could Lan WangJi skip the drunken step and go straight to sleep?!

“Drunken” is the part he wants to see!

Wei WuXian waved a hand at Lan WangJi, whose face remained solemn even after falling asleep, then patted Lan WangJi’s ear. There was no reaction.

Lan WangJi was surprisingly the type of person who would faint after one bowl.

Wei WuXian hadn’t expected this situation to occur at all. As he thought, he shook his legs, then grabbed Lan WangJi’s right arm, and dragged him out of the liquor store.

He was used to Lan WangJi’s fishing for things. After taking out his money pouch, he found an inn and asked for two rooms. He carried Lan WangJi to one of the rooms, took off his boots, covered him, and went to sleep for the night.

Stopping at a secluded spot, Wei WuXian took the flute from his waist, placed it to his lips, and played a melody. After that, he waited in silence.

These past few days, Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi had been spending their days and nights together. Wei WuXian hadn’t had time alone, so he hadn’t been able to call Wen Ning. Besides hiding his identity at the beginning, there was another reason.

Wen Ning had killed members of the GusuLan Sect before. Even if Lan WangJi treated Wei WuXian well, he couldn’t possibly call Wen Ning that to his face. Or perhaps, because Lan WangJi treated him well, he didn’t have the guts to call Wen Ning that to his face. No matter how hard he put on a face, this wasn’t the time to be thick-skinned.

Before he knew it, the terrifying clattering sounds were heard again.

With his head bowed, Wen Ning’s figure emerged from the shadows of the city wall ahead.

He was dressed entirely in black, blending into the darkness around him. Only his pupilless eyes were a striking and terrifying white.

Wei WuXian placed his hands behind his back and slowly stepped around Wen Ning.

Wen Ning shifted, as if trying to follow his lead and walk in circles. Wei WuXian ordered, “Stand properly.”

He obeyed and stopped moving. His delicate features grew even more somber.

Wei WuXian, “Tangan.”

Wen Ning extended his right hand. Wei WuXian grabbed his wrist and lifted it, carefully examining the iron handcuffs and chains attached to it. 

These were no ordinary chains. When Wen Ning was enraged, he became extremely ferocious, capable of turning iron into mud, so he wouldn’t let them drag him around like this. These were most likely chains specially made to restrain Wen Ning.

Turned to ash?

While desperately trying to restore the broken piece of the Stygian Tiger Seal, several sects were naturally also drooling over the Ghost General. How could they possibly be willing to burn him to ashes?

With a bitter laugh, he stood beside Wen Ning. After a moment of thought, he began to press his fingers into Wen Ning’s hair.

The person who restrained and restrained Wen Ning must have prevented him from thinking for himself. To make him obey someone else’s orders, Wen Ning’s sanity must have been destroyed, which meant they must have implanted something in his head. As he suspected, after a few presses, Wei WuXian found a hard pen tip on an acupuncture point on the right side of his head. He placed his other hand on the left side of Wen Ning’s head and found the same thing, resembling the tip of a needle.

Wei WuXian clamped both ends of the needle together and gradually pulled out two long black nails from within Wen Ning’s skull.

The two nails embedded in Wen Ning’s body were about an inch long and as thick as the red string used for jade pendants. As soon as the nails left his head, Wen Ning’s face trembled slightly. Black lines resembling strands of blood crept across the whites of his eyes. He seemed to be struggling to endure the pain.

It was strange that even though he was dead, he could still feel “pain”.

Judging from the intricate and complex lines carved into the nails, they must have come from a unique source. The creator was quite skilled. It would take quite some time for Wen Ning to fully recover. After putting them away, Wei WuXian looked at the chains on Wen Ning’s wrists and ankles, thinking to himself that it would be rather troublesome if they dangled and made noise. He would need to use his cultivation sword to cut them off.

The first thing that came to mind was, of course, Lan Wangji’s Bichen. Although it was somewhat inappropriate to use someone from the Lan Sect’s sword to cut Wen Ning’s chains, it was the best cultivation sword he could have. He absolutely couldn’t let Wen Ning bear so much burden.

Wei WuXian thought,  Alright. I’ll go back to the inn first. If Lan Zhan is awake, I won’t do anything. If Lan Zhan is still asleep, I’ll just borrow Bichen for a bit.

Having made up his mind, he turned around. However, to his surprise, Lan WangJi was standing right behind him. 

Translator’s Notes

Tiger Seal  : The Tiger Seal is a tiger-shaped seal traditionally used to command troops. One half of it rests on the emperor’s hand, the other half on the general’s. Only when the two are united can the general command the troops.

Daozhang  : This is an honorific used to address Taoist priests or cultivators in general. The character  dao  means “way,” the same character in the word Daoist, while  zhang  means “leader.” Fun fact: Daozhang sounds best when the seme is younger than the uke, which Xue Yang happens to be younger. This is one of the first reasons why many people began to idolize both of them.

ZiChen  : Song Lan is his birth name (who used to be called Xiao XingChen—they were close), while Song ZiChen is his nickname. Don’t worry. I know you’re all thinking “this can’t get any more complicated,” but it is. Luckily, there are character and sect guides to prevent memory loss! As the bad guy, I refuse to give the link because I think you should train your brains to prepare for what happens later in the story. Angry/sad about the hassle? You should also train your hearts, because I’m not sure you can handle what’s coming. 

Hand seals  : Yes. Almost the same as the ones in Naruto (wait, you thought that was Japanese?). Hand seals, in this case, are used to control the gravedigger’s sword.